Not quite a baby, and still not a toddler, one-year-olds are often fairly mobile, curious about the world around them, have short attention spans and are not afraid to make their feelings known.
So, if they’re fed up with waiting in the airport queue or bored of sitting in their car seat you (and your fellow passengers) will hear about it. But there are plenty of brilliant travel toys on the market that can help keep you and your little one from mid-journey meltdowns.
It goes without saying that naps and snacks will play a big part in keeping one-year-olds entertained while you wait around on the tarmac or cover long stretches in the car, but it’s also worth stocking up on a few travel toys that you can pull out and play with whenever you need a distraction.
For your child, travel toys need to be engaging, safe and distracting; for you, they need to be lightweight, quiet and easy to pack away.
Best travel toys for one-year-olds at a glance:
Whirly Squigz
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- Whirly Squigz, £19.99 from The Happy Puzzle Company – buy here
A set of three, brightly coloured, silicone spinners, these chunky fidget toys are tactile, entrancing to watch and easy for little hands to get a grip on.
What we loved most about the Whirly Squigz, is that each toy had a suction cup on it that could attach to any flat surface and made them ideal for travel as they can be stuck on plane tray tables or train windows.
Our just-turned-one tester was mesmerised by the spinning motion and they also loved chewing and massaging their gums on the soft silicone too. They are also small enough to easily slip into hand luggage or you could just take one or two on your travels.
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Jellycat Jungly Tails Soft Book
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- Jellycat Jungly Tails Soft Book, £15 from John Lewis – buy here
If you’re on the lookout for the best soft baby book, we may have just found it. This brightly coloured fabric book features a whole load of cute jungle animals, each with a different textured tail, which hangs outside the book.
Our 14-month tester enjoyed listening to the names of the animals, but (as many pet-owning parents know) even tiny babies were interested in grabbing onto the animal tails and we loved the fact that you can let young children play with this independently as there are no potentially harmful hazards or sharp corners.
The pages are also pleasingly crinkly and it has a velcro strap, which can be tied onto a car seat (or anywhere!) so it doesn’t get lost.
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Sensory stacking cups
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- Sensory stacking cups, £20 at Kidly – buy here
There are few toys that are as compelling for young children as stacking cups. The perfect cause-and-effect toy, these simple blocks can be stacked up and knocked down again (and again and again).
We think this gorgeous set of six nesting cups from Kidly is ideal for travel as they pack down into one small package and can be easily popped into a change bag. They are made from tactile, slightly squishy, food-grade silicone, which can be chewed and sucked without worry and has the added bonus of being a little quieter when dropped on the floor.
These cups also have little drainage holes so they make a great water toy when you reach your destination and can even be little makeshift sandcastle buckets too.
Edushape Linkets Activity Toy
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- Edushape Linkets Activity Toy, £19.99 at John Lewis – buy here
Bumpy, lumpy, ridged, smooth and in a wide variety of bright colours, this deceptively simple toy is your new travel saviour. Whether you pack just five or all 66 Linkets, your one-year-old will enjoy linking these rings together and pulling them apart again.
They can be easily attached to buggies, car seats, train and plane chairs and they can be used to attach hanging soft toys too. They’re safe from birth and can be gnawed on or worn as bracelets on little wrists – plus, you won’t miss one or two when you (inevitably) leave a few behind on your travels.
Taf Toys Savannah Play and Kick Car Toy
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- Taf Toys Savannah Play and Kick Car Toy, £31.13 at Halfords – buy here
According to UK laws, children up to 15 months old need to remain in a rear-facing car seat, which can be a little dull for one-year olds on longer car journeys and harder for other passengers to interact with them. The Savannah Play and KIck Car Toy is the long-drive solution we’ve been looking for.
Featuring a baby-safe mirror, a rattling toucan toy and a chime bell lion with a teething ring, designed to encourage the development of those fine and gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
However, it’s the kick-pad-activated lights and music, which really take this car toy up a level! Our 13-month-old tester loved that she could activate the music by herself and even managed some very entertaining dance moves.
It’s also very simple to set up and take down with two easy clips which allow it to hang easily from the headrest of pretty much any car.
Toniebox Starter Set
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- Toniebox Starter Set, £79.95 at Tonies – buy here
Not keen on shoving your little one in front of an iPad, but want to keep them entertained for long periods of travel time? Say ‘hello’ to the Toniebox. Essentially a kid-friendly audio player, this genius screen-free entertainment station, is a squishy colourful block (that can be dropped multiple times – trust us, we checked!) which plays all your kids’ favourite stories, facts, songs and lullabies.
The ‘Tonies’ themselves are actually beautiful little figures which magnetically attach to the top of the Toniebox and allow your little one to choose their preferred audio. Take your pick with everything from classic Julia Donaldson stories, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and In the Night Garden, plus all your Disney Favourites (yep, there’s a Frozen one). There’s also special sleepy time Tonies and the option to even record your own via the app.
The Toniebox comes with a slim charging pad and lead, but it has up to seven hours battery life so you won’t be frantically looking for a plug socket.
Thinking this all sounds a bit loud for a quiet carriage? Don’t worry the Toniebox has accessories aplenty, including colourful headphones (with excellent sound quality) and carry cases to keep all your Tonies safe and secure.
Children under-three will need adult supervision when using the Toniebox, but we love that it will grow with your child and their interests and will still be a valuable travel toy in many years to come.
Melissa & Doug Soft Taco Fill & Spill Soft Toy
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- Melissa & Doug Soft Taco Fill & Spill Soft Toy, £24.99 at John Lewis – buy here
Who doesn’t love taco night? This beautiful multi-sensory toy is essentially a small soft pouch (with an adorable kawaii-style smiling face) stuffed full of different textures, colours and patterns, plus a couple of attached food-themed teethers.
Our little tester loved pulling all the bits out and exploring the various crinkly, soft and hard ‘ingredients’ and we loved the high-quality feel of this toy, which will undoubtedly last for several years of trips and travel.
Green Rubber Toys Farm Animals Set
- Green Rubber Toys Farm Animals Set, £41.50 at Babipur – buy here
If your one-year-old has just started to really enjoy some role play, then toy figurines could be just the thing to keep them engaged for a while.
This pack of eight farm animals are soft and squidgy, so no need to worry about little ones poking themselves (or siblings!) in the eyes, and they are 100% natural and beautifully painted. As well as being sustainable and eco-friendly the natural rubber also has the benefit of being a lot lighter than conventional plastic figurines, so much so that you’ll hardly notice a couple of sheep shoved in your travel bag!
Buckle Toy Mini Buster Square
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- Buckle Toy Mini Buster Square, £8.99 at Amazon – buy here
Thought your one-year-old was the only clip-obsessed kid around? Well, you’re wrong! Lots of children have more fun playing with the buckles on their buggies and highchairs than with their actual toys. Enter – the Buster Square. A smiley soft toy with three different types of buckles to clip and unclick (and, repeat). You’ll be amazed how much your child loves this.
There are also some numbers and shapes on the back for a bit of interest and it can be clipped to the outside of your bag, car seat or travel buggy if you’re short on space.
Titta Djur finger puppets
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- TITTA DJUR Finger puppet, £6 – buy here
Okay, they might not be the most beautiful or the most innovative travel toy around, but finger puppets are a great way to keep little children entertained, especially if they are already fans of soft toys and role play.
Finger puppets are really small, so they can be stuffed into pockets and whipped out when needed, plus they are usually fairly inexpensive so you won’t be too heartbroken if you leave one under a train seat or at a service station.
This pack of 10 from IKEA features plenty of cute creatures that are just waiting to help you on your adventures.
Elephant Comforter
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- Elephant Comforter and Soother Saver, £13 at Jojo Maman Bébé – buy here
This gorgeous soft snuggly is just the right size for tiny fingers and we loved the neutral grey colour and design. The little knots are fun to fiddle with and the baby-safe velcro hands which are designed to hold a dummy or teether are a genius way of helping your one-year-old to independently find their soother and stop it dropping onto dirty floors as easily.
The soft fabric is also easy to clean; simply pop it in the washing machine when needed. It is definitely worth stocking up on a couple of these to keep them handy.
What is the best travel toy for one-year-olds?
The best travel toy for a one-year old is engaging, distracting and able to hold their attention for a considerable amount of time. Be sure to follow their own interests – whether that’s a love of farm animals, dinosaurs or unicorns – now is not the time to try something new.
It’s advisable to look for toys that offer open-ended play with no strict rules, as these allow your little one to develop their own absorbing games.
What to look for when choosing travel toys for one-year-olds
When choosing travel toys for one-year-olds and young children, you need toys that are portable and convenient for you, but also fun and attention-grabbing for your little one. If your child will be unsupervised (for example in a car, while you’re driving) travel toys need to be safe with no sharp or hard edges.
You may also want to consider fellow passengers, particularly on public transport such as trains or planes as you don’t want anything that’s overly noisy or irritating.
Fiddly sets with lots of little pieces are a bit of a no-no as (unless you’re very organised) they can quickly become discarded under seats or end up floating around the bottom of your bag. Mess is another thing to consider, felt pens and play-doh are best kept at home for this age group.
When you’re travelling, you’re likely to be limited on space and weight, so look for smaller, lighter toys that can be squished up and won’t break easily. Be aware that in a muddle of passports, snacks and jumpers, toys can often be misplaced, so ideally, you don’t want anything too pricey or beloved either.
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